All-Optical Response of Semiconductor Ring Laser to Dual-Optical Injections

The all-optical response of a semiconductor ring laser (SRL) to two optical injections is characterized. Once the lasing direction is locked by one optical injection, the SRL direction of operation can be switched by another optical injection into the counterpropagating direction. The switching process manifests a typical bistable hysteresis loop, with its width and switching thresholds variable by the first injection power. Extremely sharp transition has been measured which confirms the potential of the SRL for all-optical regeneration applications.     

Optical bistability in semiconductor lasers under intermodal lightinjection

Optical bistability in semiconductor lasers under intermodal light injection is predicted using small-signal analysis. The optical bistability is a special case of sidemode injection locking and originates from the strong gain nonlinearity introduced by external light injection. The theory can be applied to the optical bistability under both intramodal and intermodal light injection. And the difference of the optical bistabilities between intermodal and intramodal light injection is discussed. Expression for the bistable loop width is presented. Optical frequency-bistability and power-bistability in semiconductor lasers can be realized by intermodal light injection, which imply that a small (a few GHz) change of the injected light frequency or a small (several μW) change of the injected light power will induce a large (up to THz) change of the laser emitting frequency. Besides, hybrid optical bistability can be achieved by varying the bias current (only a few mA) of the laser. Dynamic properties, such as turn-on and turn-off delay and carrier overshoot during switching are discussed and some consideration of the practical aspects of the optical switching is presented     

Phase locking and chaos synchronization in injection-locked semiconductor lasers

We theoretically studied synchronization of chaotic oscillation in semiconductor lasers with chaotic light injection. Feedback-induced chaotic light generated from a master semiconductor laser was injected into a solitary slave semiconductor laser. The slave laser subsequently exhibited synchronized chaotic output for a wide parameter range with strong injection and frequency detuning within the injection-locking regime. Our numerical simulation revealed that the synchronized slave laser exhibits remarkable phase locking, even for chaotic light injection. Consequently, synchronization in phase fluctuations becomes dominant over intensity fluctuations. We found that there exists a parameter range where the slave can synchronize in phase only, with no intensity synchronization. However, synchronization can be completely destroyed, both in phase and in intensity, when the phase locking becomes unstable due to four-wave mixing or excited resonance oscillation. The phase locking was studied analytically and the correspondence between numerical and analytical results was shown. We also analytically examined chaos synchronization based on a linear stability analysis from the viewpoint of modulation response of injection-locked semiconductor lasers to a chaotic light signal. As a result, we verified that such injection-locking-induced chaos synchronization results from a quasilinear response of the bandwidth-broadened slave laser due to strong optical injection.     

Frequency and intensity noise in injection-locked semiconductor lasers: Theory and experiments

Analytical expressions for the power spectral densities of intensity and frequency noise of single-mode semiconductor lasers operating in a regime of injection locking are derived by appropriately taking into account the spontaneous emission processes into the lasing modes of both the master and slave lasers. They show how the noise spectra of the slave are influenced by the value of the injected power, by the difference between the emission frequencies of the master and slave optical cavities, and how they are correlated to the noise properties of both the master and the free-running slave. In particular, the very low frequency part of the frequency noise of the slave turns out to coincide with that of the master within a certain frequency region whose range increases as the values of the injected signal does, too. We also present measurements of the power spectral densities obtained by means of an experimental apparatus similar to that described in [1] and show how the experimental results are accounted for by the present theory.     

Secondary locking regions in laser diode subject to optical injection from two lasers

A new secondary locking region in a semiconductor laser when under optical injection from two master lasers is reported. Theory and experiment suggest this can be attributed to a frequency pulling effect. Also, a stability map containing instability threshold caused by the second signal, is generated.     

注入锁定法布里-珀罗激光器的单模工作特性

使用分布式反馈(DFB)激光器对法布里-珀罗(F-P)激光器进行单模注入锁定.通过改变F-P激光器的偏置电流,DFB激光器的输出功率以及两激光器间的波长失谐量,对注入锁定F-P激光器的光谱特性、功率特性以及频率响应特性进行实验分析.找出影响注入锁定F-P激光器稳定性的因素,并测量注入锁定F-P激光器的稳定锁定区;通过优化注人条件实现F-P激光器的高边模抑制比(SMSR)输出,最高可达55 dB;通过与自由运转F-P激光器比较,发现注入锁定可以明显抑制半导体激光器在高频调制下光谱的展宽.注入锁定后F-P激光器的3 dB调制带宽接近14 GHz.实验结果表明,通过合理设计光注入条件,注入锁定技术可以明显改善F-P激光器的光谱特性以及高频响应特性,并在高速光纤通信领域中得到广泛应用.     

The effect of electronic feedback on semiconductor lasers

Negative electronic feedback (EFB) has a strong effect on the performance of a bistable laser diode amplifier and on injection-locked lasers. Negative EFB drastically reduces the switching-up input power level and the hysteresis in the input-output power characteristic and in the tuning curves of the bistable laser amplifier. Furthermore, negative EFB leads to a reduction in the time delay associated with optical switching in diode laser amplifiers. This provides a means of enhancing the versatility of the proposed system in some potential applications. For an injected-locked laser, negative EFB achieves a broadening in the locking bandwidth and its dynamically stable region     

Propagation equation based theory of intermodal injection lockingin semiconductor lasers

Intermodal injection locking is analyzed theoretically through the use of propagation equations inside the amplifying semiconductor medium and the boundary conditions on the laser facets. In particular, the stability analysis is performed by considering the oscillation threshold of sideband waves generated inside the laser via intracavity nearly degenerate four-wave mixing processes. This study of injection locking is performed by taking into account the dispersion relationship of both the optical gain and linewidth enhancement factor. As a consequence, in intermodal injection locking, the injected-locked power is shown to be, in certain cases, lower than that of the free-running laser, and the frequency zones of stable injection locking broader than those obtained in the intramodal injection-locking case usually considered     

基于半导体光放大器交叉增益调制效应的主动锁模光纤激光器

提出一种腔内损耗小的基于半导体光放大器(SOA)交叉增益调制效应(XGM)的主动锁模光纤激光器结构。使用光环行器成功减小了激光器的腔内损耗,提高了激光器的输出功率。从理论上对有理数谐波锁模过程中腔内脉冲复合的物理机制进行了详细分析。利用有理数谐波锁模技术,在调制频率为10 GHz下,得到了重复频率为30 GHz的皮秒级光脉冲序列输出,其峰值功率约0.5 mW。由于半导体光放大器的宽增益谱与滤波器的较大可调谐范围,使得激光器输出可以在较大的波长可调谐范围内保持较大功率输出。成功实现了调制频率为20 GHz的谐波锁模短光脉冲输出,可调谐范围达40 nm,峰值功率大于0.65 mW。半导体光放大器和激光器的短腔长保证了激光器的长期稳定性。     

Optical spectral bistability in a semiconductor fiber ring laserthrough gain saturation in an SOA

We demonstrate the operation of optical bistability in a widely tunable semiconductor fiber ring laser, using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The laser can be operated in two bistable states: the spectrum of the first state has one main lasing peak with very narrow linewidth, and the second state has simultaneous oscillation of two main peaks at different wavelengths. The two bistable states can be switched to each other using either electrical or optical methods. We further explain the bistable operation using the theory of two-mode competition through gain saturation in the SOA     

基于两只半导体光放大器级联结构的多波长光纤激光器

通过数值模拟对两只半导体光放大器(SOA)级联结构的静态增益饱和特性进行了理论研究.在不考虑自发辐射的情况下,分析了注入电流对两只SOA级联结构增益的影响.实验上构建了一种基于两只SOA级联结构的多波长光纤激光器,观测并分析了半导体光放大器的驱动电流和增益带宽对多波长输出结果的影响.在室温下,获得了基本符合ITU-T标准100 GHz的27个波长以上的稳定多波长输出,各信道输出功率不平坦度小于±3 dB,线宽小于0.102 nm,信噪比大于25 dB,总输出功率为1.94 mW,并且与由单只SOA构成的多波长光纤激光器进行了对比.     

Analyses of numerical and experimental results for optical signal generation using heterodyne scheme

In this paper, we have proposed a heterodyne technique to generate an optical millimeter-wave signal for ultra-wideband communication. First, we have investigated the characteristics of semiconductor lasers locked to another semiconductor under the RF modulation having many sidebands. The RF-modulated master laser is represented by a series of Bessel functions. This model is then inserted into Lang's rate equations. By numerically solving the resulting rate equations, we have determined the locked laser output characteristics as well as the RF spectrum of the beat signals. The result is that the unselected sidebands can produce undesired beat signals whose power may be comparable to that of the desired beat signal. Furthermore, their strength is affected by the injected ML light power. With reduced ML light, undesired beat signals and the injection-locking bandwidth can be suppressed. Second, we have experimented a new technique for generating millimeter-wave signals from a semiconductor laser. A 32 GHz signal is generated using a multisection semiconductor laser operated under a continuous wave by injecting optical pulses at a repetition rate equal to the fourth subharmonic (8 GHz). The generated millimeter-wave signal exhibits a large subharmonic suppression ratio, a large frequency detuning range, low levels of phase-noise and a large locking range. These simulation results are confirmed by experimental results. The high-frequency signal can be used in the field of ultra-wideband communication employing local multipoint distribution system (LMDS), wireless local loop (WLL) and mobile broadband system (MBS).     

1.06μm注入锁定增益开关半导体激光器特性分析与功率放大研究

报道了1.06 m增益开关半导体激光器的详细特性分析和功率放大研究。用高频正弦信号调制中心波长1.06 m的F-P腔半导体激光器得到脉宽约为100 ps、平均功率约为20 mW,重频从500 MHz到2 GHz连续可调的稳定短脉冲激光输出。采用注入锁定改善增益开关半导体激光器的输出特性。研究和分析了调制信号的频率、功率和偏置电流的大小以及注入锁定的功率、温度对激光器输出特性的影响。将该激光器作为种子,用108 W的抽运光进行两级全光纤功率放大得到了82 W的高功率输出,光光转换效率达到76%。     

Control of unidirectional oscillation in semiconductor orbiterlasers

Unidirectional oscillation in a ring-resonator-type semiconductor laser was demonstrated in a square-shaped orbiter laser using an optical feedback mechanism. The bistable switching phenomenon between the unidirectional and bidirectional oscillation was observed synchronized with the switching of the longitudinal lasing mode. A longitudinal-mode bistability results from the compound cavity system formed by the orbiter laser and output waveguide. The feedback light from the output waveguide end interferes with the orbiter lasing light. Switching between the unidirectional and bidirectional oscillation was controlled by injecting a current into the output waveguide, which varies the phase condition of the feedback light     

Full-duplex optical transmission using self-heterodyne lasertransceivers

The use of semiconductor diode lasers simultaneously as heterodyne receivers and lightwave transmitters in a full-duplex single optical fiber transmission system is reported. A transmission distance of 16 km, limited by Rayleigh backscattering, is obtained at a bit rate of 40 Mb/s for this simple system, which requires no optical couplers or photodiodes. The proposed operation is analogous to that of the so-called autodyne radio receiver in which the local oscillator circuit also performs the heterodyne mixing. The optical counterpart is called a self-heterodyne mixer and offers the same frequency selectivity and tunability as a conventional heterodyne detector but with reduced receiver complexity. In the self-heterodyne receiver, an optical signal to be detected is introduced directly into the lasing cavity by coupling the signal into the laser through an uncoated cleaved end facet. Changes in the optical cavity field, which result from interference between the lasing mode and the injected signal, modulate the rate of stimulated carrier recombination and thus produce a change in the injection current. This alternating current component is detected and amplified in the laser active region bias     

All-Optical Label Swapping Using Bistable Semiconductor Ring Laser in an Optical Switching Node

This paper demonstrates an optical node that simultaneous carries out multicast optical switching and all-optical label swapping. While the optical payload is being forwarded by a fast optical switch matrix, the optical label is processed by a semiconductor ring laser (SRL) bistable. Old address bits in the label are erased by optically blocking the switching of the ring laser and new address bits are inserted by modulating the output from SRL directly. This label swapping scheme is the first demonstration of bit-level data processing using the all-optical logic capabilities of a semiconductor ring laser.     

Locking bandwidth of actively mode-locked semiconductor lasersusing fiber-grating external cavities

We demonstrate numerically that actively mode-locked semiconductor lasers employing a linearly-chirped fiber grating in an external cavity can exhibit multiple drive frequency ranges of stable pulse generation, and thus give a large locking bandwidth. The locking bandwidth defines the range of RF drive frequencies over which the laser will generate pulses with low timing jitter. The stable optical pulses are generated with leading or trailing subpulses due to optical energy circulating within the fiber grating. The multiple stable ranges merge if loss is introduced into the fiber-grating region. We also show that the locking bandwidth can be improved if chirp is introduced into the grating. Suprisingly, however, chirp of either sign improves the locking bandwidth     

DFB半导体激光器自注入锁定失稳因素分析

分布反馈(Distributed Feedback, DFB)半导体激光器具有体积小、成本低和工艺成熟等优势,但兆赫兹量级的线宽使其应用范围受限。采用环形谐振器对其进行自注入锁定,可将线宽压窄到千赫兹量级,但仍存在锁定不稳定的问题。文章采用四只不同的环形谐振器对DFB半导体激光器进行自注入锁定,通过实验监测自注入锁定时多个端口的光功率、偏振态和光波长的变化,揭示影响DFB半导体激光器自注入锁定稳定性的因素有谐振模式跳变、偏振态跳变,以及外界温度和振动引起的锁定环路的相位变化,且使用不同类型的环形谐振器进行锁定时,主导的影响因素不同。控制这些影响因素可以改善DFB半导体激光器自注入锁定的稳定性,使DFB半导体激光器自注入锁定技术有更好的应用效果。     

Optically triggered off-switching in a bistable laser diode using atwo-electrode DFB-LD

Optically triggered off-switching in a bistable laser diode (BLD) with inhomogeneous excitation is demonstrated for the first time. By injecting an optical pulse with a slightly different frequency from that of the BLD, the BLD is switched from the stable on to the stable off position. This off-switching results from beat vibration between the BLD lasing light and the externally injected light